Pyotr Grigorievich Goncharov (russian: Пётр Григо́рьевич Гончаро́в; 18 October 1888 – 20 March 1970,
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
) was a Russian/soviet composer, conductor and choirmaster.
Biography
Born to a poor family in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...
in 1888, in what was then the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, Goncharov was a choral singer in his youth. In 1907,
he graduated from the Baltic Fleet Musical College, where he studied clarinet. During his time at the college, he received lessons in conducting, harmony, composition and orchestral score reading from the famed Russian composer
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes; russian: Рейнгольд Морицевич Глиэр; 23 June 1956), was a Russian Imperial and Soviet composer of German and P ...
. He was later mentored by
Alexander Koshetz
Alexander Koshetz (12 September 1875 – 21 September 1944) was a Ukrainian choral conductor, arranger, composer, ethnographer, writer, musicologist, and lecturer. He helped popularize Ukrainian music around the world. His name is sometimes ...
. From 1907, he conducted the choirs of
St Volodymyr's Cathedral
St Volodymyr's Cathedral ( uk, Володимирський собор, russian: Владимирский собор) is a cathedral in the centre of Kyiv. It is one of the city's major landmarks and the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodo ...
and, later,
Saint Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, is an architectural monument of Kyivan Rus. The former cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the K ...
.
Goncharov lost his sight due to illness in 1921, but remained active as a conductor and composer. He founded the Southwestern Railway Chorus, and also worked for the Kiev State Opera and the Ukrainian State Choir (DUMKA).
In 1940, he moved to
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
. There he became the conductor of the newly-founded and now famous Ukrainian Trembita Chorus, while simultaneously working for the
Lviv Opera
The Solomiya Krushelnytska Lviv State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet ( uk, Львівський Національний академічний театр опери та балету імені Соломії Крушельницької ...
, conducting its choir and orchestra.
In 1942, after the Nazi occupation of Kyiv, he returned there to again conduct the choir of St Volodymyr's Cathedral.
Goncharov died in Kyiv in 1970, and was buried in
Baikove Cemetery
Baikove Cemetery ( uk, Байкове кладовище) is a historic cemetery memorial in Holosiiv Raion of Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a National Historic Landmark of Ukraine and is known as a necropolis of distinguished people. It was established in ...
.
Works
Goncharov's two best known works are the liturgical works ("Liberation Service") and , known variously in English as "To Your Cross" and "Thy Cross We Worship", among other names. This latter is noteworthy in that it includes one of the lowest notes in the
basso profondo
Basso profondo (Italian: "deep bass"), sometimes basso profundo, contrabass or oktavist, is the lowest bass voice type.
While ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera'' defines a typical bass as having a range that is limited to the second E below ...
range (C
2). "To Your Cross" was used in the soundtracks of
Chris Marker
Chris Marker (; 29 July 1921 – 29 July 2012) was a French writer, photographer, documentary film director, multimedia artist and Essay#Film, film essayist. His best known films are ''La Jetée'' (1962), ''A Grin Without a Cat'' (1977) and ''S ...
's 1962 film,
La Jetée
''La Jetée'' () is a 1962 French science fiction featurette directed by Chris Marker and associated with the French New Wave#Left Bank, Left Bank artistic movement. still image film, Constructed almost entirely from still photos, it tells the sto ...
.
See also
*
List of Ukrainian composers
This is a list of Ukrainian composers of classical music who were either born on the territory of modern-day Ukraine or were ethnically Ukrainian.
List by century of birth 15th century
16th century
17th century
18th century
19th cen ...
References
External links
* (uk
"Awarded Oblivion"Dzerkalo Tyzhnia 26 March 1995 (archived September 2006)
*
* (uk
All Ukrainian Expert Network: This day in History (People and events) 18 October* (uk
Virtual International Authority File: Гончаров, Пётр ГригорьевичMusicBrainz catalogue: Pyotr Gontcharov* (uk
To Your Cross (sheet music)(web archive)
* (uk
Encyclopedia of Modern Ukraine: Pyotr Grigorievich Goncharov
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goncharov, Pyotr
1888 births
1970 deaths
Musicians from Kyiv
20th-century classical composers
Ukrainian classical composers
Ukrainian conductors (music)
20th-century conductors (music)
20th-century male musicians